Where is this $40k number actually coming from? I read the linked articles but there didn't seem to be any detailed analysis that I saw...
> The takeaway here is that your financial well-being is not the product of a million small decisions, but two or three big decisions.
Uhh maybe it's both? I've done a detailed analysis of our finances for many years. I find that those little things really do add up. Changing my lifestyle such that I have cheap hobbies, don't eat out, don't drink alcohol (esp. at restaurants), and make coffee at home has actually saved me a lot of money. On the order of many thousands per year compared to my prior bad habits.
Lifestyle creep really does happen if you aren't focused on stopping it. Yes, I can "afford" to eat out 7 days per week and go to Starbucks every single day and lease high-end cars. My bank account will actually probably still be growing even if I did this. However, it won't grow nearly as much as if I just cool my jets and live a modest lifestyle